Peking University, October 4, 2021: On September 27, Peking University Campus Protected Area was listed one of the Global Biodiversity Conservation Best Practices 100+, announced on the NGO Forum of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 15).
The campus protected area adheres to the design idea of traditional Chinese gardens that learns from nature. It contains a rich variety of water bodies, miniaturises nearly all types of wetland landscapes in East Asia, and preserves the native biodiversity of the North China Plain region. Currently, there are more than 230 species of birds, 600 species of higher plants, 11 species of beasts, 26 species of fish, 11 species of amphibians and reptiles, 27 species of butterflies, and 26 species of crickets in the protected area.
Since 2002, nature lovers among the faculty and students of Peking University have been investigating the condition of animals and plants on the campus. Then, in 2009, Peking University Center for Nature and Society started to guide systematic monitoring and patrolling. In 2018, the Center set up the PKU Campus Protected Area, the first mini natural reserve among domestic universities and in Beijing, which covers all the historical gardens in the north of the campus, an area in the south, and a small part outside the West Gate, totaling 50 hectares. Accordingly, a series of management methods were made, including delimiting the conservation area, preserving the near-natural restoration of native vegetation, long-term biodiversity monitoring by faculty and students.
The goal of PKU Campus Protected Area is not merely to construct the most ecological campus. More importantly, with more than 50,000 people studying and working, this campus also provides a replicable model for achieving harmony between human beings and nature in the process of urbanization.
Written by: Liu Chang
Edited by: Ye Yimeng
